The Queen Liliuokalani Long Distance Outrigger Canoe Race brings an international flavor to the Big Island every year with clubs worldwide coming to compete in various races over the five day event, including Saturday’s feature event, the 18-mile Wa’a Kaukahi.
Many clubs, such as the Outrigger Club United Kingdom, based out of London, are regulars at the annual event. While others, such Waipapa, a team from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, are first timers.
The OCUK has been attending the Queen Liliuokalani since 2010 and head coach Cam Taylor has attended for seven years, coming originally with a German and Canadian club.
The Canadian born paddler moved to London many years ago for work and after attaining his MBA, he joined the OCUK, which was just in its infancy phase. After a couple of years he took over the head coaching position.
The United Kingdom is not known for its paddling. The OCUK is currently the largest outrigger canoe club out of five established clubs.
“The sport itself has been in the UK since the late 80s, but kind of faded away until the OCUK formed in 2002,” Taylor said. “Since then, we have created a governing body and our club is very much focused on inclusiveness and promoting the Polynesian culture.”
While the sport is growing, Taylor admits that the club still has a way to go as far as open ocean paddling. Most clubs in the UK practice on the Thames River. When they can get to the ocean, they practice in the English Channel.
“It is windy, it is choppy, but there really isn’t any ocean swell. It’s just wind direction and current, but it is what we have,” Taylor said. “Pound for pound, pulling on flat water, we would be right up there with the top crews, but the ocean it takes us 15 to 20 minutes to get our sea legs again and by that time we are far back.”
While the OCUK will be competing as iron crews in the Wa’a Kaukahi — 18-miles roundtrip with no paddler changeover — coming to the Big Island is not about winning for the club, it is about the experience, having a good time, and the immersion into the Hawaiian culture.
“There is a loose connection between the Hawaiian Islands and Britan. The Union Jack sits on the Hawaiian flag,” Taylor said. “I am proud that I can expose as many people as I can in Britan to the Polynesian way of life.”
Connection is what the Queen Liliuokalani is all about and while the UK may share a “loose” connection with Hawaii, New Zealand shares a much more intimate bond, and for the Waipapa crew out of the University of Auckland, the experience of coming to the Big Island has already been a memorable one after they were able to win their way to an all-expenses paid trip.
Waipapa earned their way to the Big Island after placing first in the University of Auckland Great Waka Ama Race, where they competed against six other student teams, winning by a little over six minutes.
“The experience has been amazing so far,” said paddler Waimirirangi Stone. “Being able to share our culture as indigenous people of New Zealand with the people of Hawaii has been awesome. It’s nice to see that we can connect on a cultural level.”
The New Zealand crew is having fun on their trip, even if the weather puts them far away from the cold temperatures of the winter months at home. But that isn’t keeping them from enjoying the trip.
“Over the first few days it has been pretty hot and humid,” said paddler Tera Hodges-Tai. “We actually have a game where we are not able to talk about the weather at all and if we do we have to get down and do 10 pushups.”
For one member of the Waipapa crew, the trip to the Big Island is a homecoming. Noenoe Barclay-Kerr is from Hilo and this is her first time competing at Queen Liliuokalani.
“This is the first time our crew has done something like this and our expectation is to give it our all,” Barclay-Kerr said. “I am very grateful for being able to experience this, it makes me happy, and I get a chance to see my family again.”
Waipapa will be competing in the Wa’a Kaukahi on Saturday. The wahine race begins from Kailua Bay at 7:30 a.m. The kane race starts at 11:45 a.m. from Honaunau Bay.